Since the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January 2020, there are daily reports of new cases and deaths due to COVID-19. Globally over 1 million people have been affected by the virus and there have been over 70,000 deaths. It seems the virus has engulfed the whole world. Yet surprisingly there are few pockets on earth that remain completely unaffected by COVID-19.

South Pacific island nations: The remote islands comprising of Vanuatu, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Tonga, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Tuvalu, and Nauru are protected due to their geographical location and travel restrictions. But officials are still on high alert for any outbreak because of the vulnerability of the islands. The virus can wreak havoc in these places which have densely populated urban centres and weak healthcare systems. The island nations took precautionary measures such as sealing the borders and restricted travel from countries with active coronavirus cases early in January.

North Korea: Although critics are sceptical, North Korea claims to be completely free of the Coronavirus. According to reports officials from the health department said that early sealing of the borders and strict containment measures helped ensure that no was infected by the virus. Unlike other countries, North Korea sealed its borders by the end of January when cases in China were growing.

Yemen: This conflict-ridden Arab nation is yet to report any case of coronavirus. But the danger is imminent. With an ongoing civil war that has been raging for the past five years, the country lacks a good healthcare system. If corona makes landfall, it will lead to an unmitigated disaster.

Turkmenistan: This Central Asian country remains isolated and is under a repressive government. Despite a massive outbreak in neighbouring countries Iran and Afghanistan, Turkmenistan has no reported cases of COVID-19. Recent reports suggested that the state also controlled on the reporting of Coronavirus news.

Tajikistan: This landlocked nation in Central Asia claims to be unaffected by the virus. Although reports have pointed out that recently the country has started certain containment measures such as restricting large gatherings and usage of masks. Despite the looming threat, the country announced the start of the football season this month.